MONTREAL, March 19, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - A railroad blockade in the
Napanee area between Belleville and Kingston affects the movement of
VIA Rail (www.viarail.ca) trains on the Toronto - Montréal and Toronto - Ottawa routes, in both
directions. Trains between Ottawa and Montréal are operating according
to the regular schedule for now.

Every effort is being made to bring passengers with itineraries passing
through the site of the blockade to destination by bus as train
operation had to be cancelled until further notice. VIA Rail's foremost
priority is to ensure that customers reach their destinations as
comfortably and safely as possible. This situation will cause
substantial expenses and force our employees to work long hours.

VIA Rail appreciates the understanding of its passengers. Customers with
reservations choosing not to travel can receive a full refund. Those
wishing to exchange their ticket for a later date may do so at no
additional charge. Customers wishing to cancel or change their date of
travel, may do so at no additional charge by calling 1 888 VIA-RAIL (1
888 842-7245) or 1 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired), up to 24 hours
prior to their scheduled departure. For updated information, follow us
on Twitter @VIA rail and on Facebook.

Delays can be expected. Service recovery measures such as late train
travel credits or travel credits for bus substitutions will not be
offered for affected trains. Extra charges paid for Business Class
tickets will be reimbursed in the case of a bus substitution.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate
is to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation
service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates
intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities
across its 12,500-kilometre route network. Recipient of the Railway
Association of Canada's Safety Award in 2012 for the 11th time in 12 years, and of the 2013 Agent's Choice Award voted by
Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media, VIA Rail
safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. Since 2007,
the Government of Canada has invested more than a billion dollars in
VIA Rail. Follow the evolution of current projects at viarail.ca/TransformerVIA.